Napolean Conway pushed his way through the thick jungle of Borneo until he revealed the remains of the light plane which had gone done in rough weather a week before. The six members of his search party followed him, but none would dare mention the atrocity they saw. The plane itself was relatively unharmed, but the three people who were on board had been beheaded and their belongings ransacked. The scene was straight from a nightmare, and only Conway seemed determined enough to board the crashed plane, while the others remained at the fringes of the clearing.

Inside the plane, Conway came face to face with Dumaguete, an uberhuman lizard-man who had begun a path of destruction down the South-East Asian archipelagos, killing indiscriminately with his newly discovered uber abilities. Conway licked his lips nervously, and stared Dumaguete in the eyes.

"You're under arrest," he said, but Dumaguete could tell that Conway was inexperienced and also out of his jurisdiction.

"And you're lunch," Dumaguete said and leapt towards Conway, almost instantly being deflected by a telekinetic field, and thrown into the cockpit of the crashed plane. Conway flinched at the attack, but then realised what he had to do. This wasn't just an archaeological expedition to some obscure corner of the world to look at some lost treasure. This was his new life, as a dedicated member of the Southern Knights, who were sworn to uphold the laws of several countries. He knew it didn't include Indonesia, but apparently both the Indonesian government and the Australia government had come to an arrangement.

Dumaguete burst back from the cockpit and clawed at Conway, but his telekinesis deflected the attacks again, sending the frustrated lizard man into the side of the cabin. Conway could feel Dumaguete's growing fury, as well as a creeping sense of fear. He reached out his mind and made a firm connection between his and the monster's mind. Dumaguete squirmed, but Conway held fast, moving through his mind to find the weak points and then quickly shutting the man down.

As Dumaguete slumped to the ground, the plane itself began to shudder. Outside there were shouts as the others in his rescue team began to run back through the forest. Conway looked down and saw the plane moving along the ground, following a shudder.

Professor Quake floated into the clearing, calling up the power of the earth to entomb the plane and Conway. The former scientist was mad, and his power was unmatched in the southern hemisphere, but Conway was young and idealistic. He leapt for the opening of the plane and cleared it just as the earth reached around, trapping him at waist level, but allowing him to at least see his attacker.

Professor Quake seemed amused, if anything, and continued to wrap the earth around the plane. Conway began to counter the force, using his telekinesis to undo the work of the geokinetic. Professor Quake gradually realised he was facing a man of potentially similar ability and power. His mind flashed with anger and he redoubled his force, only to be similarly countered by Conway. The battle of wills continued until Dumaguete was aroused and made his escape through a tunnel which had been secured by Professor Quake. He scampered to the top of the mound and attacked Conway from behind, using his fierce claws to rake through the weakened shields and draw blood.

Conway tried to fight both, but was beaten back. Still half-entombed he succumbed to Professor Quake's powers and was summarily buried alive.

He knew he wasn't dead, but it felt like it. For the next six hours he waited for reinforcements, thinking that at any time Quake could return and finish the job. When help did arrive, Conway was relieved but still didn't know why Quake had wanted the plane brought down. It had been a Southern Cross International flight, and Conway had learned that Quake's team of terrorists had been targeting Southern Cross for months.

When he and the others returned to Melbourne, Conway was accepted as the newest member of the team. From a graduate student in the research department of Southern Cross, Conway had manifested his uberabilities, developed them through the Southern Cross facilities, and finally managed to get on to the action team. He had spent his whole working life with Southern Cross, and when he was promoted to team leader of the Southern Knights in his third year with the team, he accepted the position with a mixture of gratitude and fate.

Outback is one of the most powerful ubers to be connected with Southern Cross International, and although he has only been active for four years and is considered a late bloomer, Outback has the potential to become one of the world's premier ubers.

Personality

Conway has always been curious, which is why he was drawn to archaeology in high school and then university. He has a keen interest in his Koorie culture as well as the various cultures around the world. For a time, he considered working for SAGE and was a close friend of James Running Bear, but his interest in Australian culture made him determined to remain in his own country rather than go international. He was hired by Southern Cross International after graduating university and in their care he was accidentally exposed to an experimental radiation treatment during an attack by Deep Six. His ubergene was activated and he helped to stop the facility from being inundated with sea water. From that encounter, Conway has developed a kind of love-hate relationship with Deep Six's leader, Treasure, whom he has had several dealings with - and Treasure has always escaped him, and quite often escaped with sizeable quantities of loot.

Conway is a stubborn man, though, and will rarely, if ever, admit defeat. He is a strong leader and works himself harder than anyone else, resulting in some strained relationships outside of his work. He maintains a residence with his sister, Frances, who is a social worker, but has little contact with the rest of his family.

Quote

“Hold it right there... yes, right there.”

Powers

Outback is a formidable telepath/telekinetic, able to manipulate the minds and physical forces around him. He combines these abilities with an honourable nature, so he does not usually use his powers to dominate the minds of others, or intrude upon their thoughts.

Appearance

Conway is an Aboriginal man in his early thirties, and wears a patriotic uniform consisting of the colours of the Aboriginal Flag as Outback. Out of uniform, Conway prefers to wear formal clothing, as befits his role as the leader of the Southern Knights, and is seen in a variety of suits, or less often, shirts and trousers. When he is off duty and out of uniform, he allows himself to be more comfortable, but as he is a workaholic, these times are very rare.